There was no immediate reaction from Israeli or Iranian officials. Israel had warned it would hit back after Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at it almost a week ago, in retaliation for a deadly strike — which Tehran blamed on its regional foe — that levelled Iran's consular annex at its embassy in Syria. Air defence systems over several cities were activated, state media reported on Friday, after Iran's official broadcaster said explosions were heard near Isfahan city, in the province of the same name. An anonymous Israeli official told The Washington Post the "strike" was retaliation for Iran's drone and missile barrage and intended to signal that Israel had the ability to hit inside Iran.
Iran's Tasnim news agency, citing "informed sources", denied that Iran had been attacked from outside. "Contrary to the rumours and claims" made in foreign media, "there are no reports of an attack from abroad", Tasnim said. Three Iranian officials told The New York Times that small drones carried out the "attack", possibly launched from inside Iran, and that its radar systems had not detected unidentified aircraft entering Iranian airspace. Fars news agency reported "three explosions" close to Qahjavarestan, near Isfahan airport and the 8th Shekari army airbase. Iran's space agency spokesman Hossein Dalirian, referring to a type of drone, said there was "a failed and humiliating attempt to fly quad-copters, which were shot down". There were "no reports of a missile attack", Dalirian said on social media platform X.
"Reports indicate there was no major damage or large explosions caused by the impact of any air threat," the official IRNA news agency said. Iran's army commander-in-chief Abdolrahim Mousavi attributed Friday's explosions to "the firing of anti-aircraft defence systems on a suspicious object". He said there was "no damage" and the scale of the incident was being assessed, according to Tasnim. Nuclear facilities in Isfahan were reported to be "completely secure", Tasnim said, and the UN's atomic watchdog confirmed "no damage" to Iran's nuclear sites. — ONA and Agencies
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